Process piping is an important part of many manufacturing operations. Almost all industries require piping, in one form or another, to convey material used in the manufacturing process. In winter months, the cold temperatures can have an adverse effect on piping systems and the materials they transport. There are a few of ways to prevent changing temperatures from effecting the manufacturing operation.
Just as we insulate walls to keep heat in, the same can be done for piping. Insulating a piping system prevents materials from losing heat which helps maintain temperature control of the entire process. Accurate temperature control is critical in certain applications like food processing. Pipe insulation also conserves energy by reducing heat loss.
Used in conjunction with insulation, heat tracing offers another way to keep process piping from being impacted by cold temperatures. Heat tracing (adding heating elements to the outside of the piping, under the insulation or used alone) is most often used in applications where too much heat loss would severely impact the process operation. Another circumstance would be when the material solidifies at ambient temperatures.
In many industrial operations steam tracing is common. The steam goes around copper tubing and is covered with insulating material to maintain temperatures in a proper manor. When steam is unavailable or unwanted in an application, electrical tape is a viable option for heat tracing. When used alone, electrical tape has the added benefit of heating the ambient temperature and keeping the surrounding environment warm.
Pipe insulation and heat tracing are necessary additions to piping systems that would be impacted by temperature change due to cold weather. At Base Construction, we have the capabilities to provide high-quality electrical and steam heat tracing and pipe insulation to meet any industry requirement. Our ability to take on challenging and diversified projects enables us to deliver effective solutions for all types of process piping system fabrication and installation.
Contact Base Construction today or visit our website to learn more about our process piping capabilities and view examples of our past projects.